PEI Potato Farmers Face Tough Season

0:00It's April 26th. This is Canada News Today, your AI-powered local news. Prince Edward Island Potato Farmers took a big hit last year from drought, with production dropping 15.9% to 21.8 million hundred weight, the worst decline in Canada. Now as planting season kicks off, they're dealing with leftovers from that dry spill, plus spiking costs, linked to the war in Iran, like priceier fuel, for tractors and fertilizer bills that keep climbing. Farmers like Guy Kudmore at his seed potato operations say, it's squeezing profits hard, yet he's sticking to his full 200 acres to hold on to. Customers and not lose ground. The smaller local crop didn't lift prices much, since supplies stayed solid across North America, adding more market pressure on top of everything. Else, looking ahead, growers are ramping up soil health tweaks, crop rotations, and drought tough varieties, with fresh buzz around smart irrigation setups. All while eyeing costs, and hoping for kinder weather this summer.